PALLADIUM BOOKS® PRESENTS ...

Adventures in the

Northern Wilderness 1

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Dedicated to our fans who have waited so patiently for a new Palladium® Fantasy RPG supplement. Rest easy, this is the first of several.

First Printing - October 1989

Copyright © 1989 Kevin Siembieda.

Cover Copyright © 1989 Keith Parkinson.

Copyright © 1989 by Kevin Siembieda. All rights reserved under the Universal Copyright Convention. No part of this book may be reproduced in part or whole, in any form or by any means, without permission from the publisher, except for brief quotes for use in reviews. All incidents, situations , institutions, governments and people are fictional and any similarity, without satric intent, of characters or persons living or dead is strictly coincidental.

Palladium Books® is a registered trademark owned by Kevin Siembieda

Adventures in the Northern Wilderness is published by Palladium Books, 5926 Lonyo, Detroit, Michigan 48210

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CREDITS Writers Thomas Bartold Adventures in the Northern Wilderness

Grant S. Boucher Kevin Davies Jeffrey Gomez Kevin Long Alex Marciniszyn ~ \ Kevin Siembie~a..~~\ Erick Wujcik ~~

Edi tors: Alex Marciniszyn Jeffrey Gomez

Story Editor: Kevin Siembieda Cover Art: Keith Parkinson Interior Art: Eric Talboi":§t"': Additional Art: Larry MacDougall

Kevin Long ~ "v'1 ~e.. Gt~5Palladium Books® Typography: Maryann Siembieda ~e)~ f- /.;., / . /J'_ 4.

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Special Thanks to: Keith and Mary, La rant, .--r.- ; I~{..(..I"!/-:l'<.> Kevin, AI, Jeff, Eric and Erick. \~<3- ~ {'r: vlr,~J7:.

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--- :l/ov6 fl. 1: . ~~6J \~ieOl'-.....C.r--The Northern Wilderness so e mate al) ...................................'" .. .

Killing Winters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 Penalties and Modifiers for Winter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 5 Wolfen Tribes ..................................................... 6 Wolfen Military .................................................... 12

Adventures Begin ...................................................... 19

The Pirates of Dragons Claw ............................................... 19 Necrom and Other Rune Weapons ........................................ 29

Journey to Darkwood . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 Omicron (villain) ................................................... 36

To Serve the Pixie Crown ................................................. 38 Map of Mine Complex . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Grackyn (New Undead Monster) ......................................... 52

Avaxa's Gate ......................................................... 54 Map of Algor Keep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

The Forest of Broken Wings ............................................... 68 The Burning (group of monsters) ......................................... 75 The Lady and Her Champion ........................................... 78 Ceratus Dominus, the Abomination ....................................... 84

A Most Royal Conspiracy ...........................••.. . ................. 88 Gigante Gladiators .................................................. 92 Cassandrix and Maximus .............................................. 95

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GEOGRAPHY OF THE NORTHERN WILDERNESS By Erick Wujcik

Political Geography. Unlike human geography, where the boundaries between one govern­

ment and another are like an invisible line drawn on the land, Wolfen see the whole idea of territory in a much more flexible way . It is quite possible for the Wolfen to cede the same patch of land to several different groups . For example, the same patch of forest might be home to a group of faerie folk and also to a Coyle Horde. But in the winter, when the faeries have migrated south, and when the Coyles have joined their cousins in the west , the same land might be considered the winter

property of a band of Kankoran.

Climatological (Weather) Geography. With the exception of a few mountain peaks, there is nowhere in the

Palladium World where the winters are so very brutal as in the Northern Wilderness.

lust looking at the map of the Palladium World, you might think that the coldest region would be Bizantium, the northernmost land . Bizantium does have severe winters, with heavy snow and dramatically low temperatures . It's just that compared to the interior of the Northern Wilderness , Bizantium is a tropical resort .

The reason has to do with a combination of the latitude, ocean currents, and the prevailing winds across the main continent. All the coastlines, even deep inside the Dragon 's Claw, are constantly warmed by the ocean .

Latitude also plays a major role in the Palladium World's climate . In general, the farther north, the colder the climate.

Likewise, the prevailing winds, coming from the far west, generally warm the western half of the Palladium World, including the Western Empire .

The north is the coldest land, the wildest land, the cruelest land, and the largest wilderness in the Palladium World. It is also the true frontier of civilization. Virtually anywhere else, especially in all those southern lands, you'll find the remnants of lost civilizations , temples of forgotten religions, or the vast tumbled playthings of ancient wizards. True, some ancient relics are located in the Northern Wilderness, but they are the exception , and the vast untouched forest is the rule .

WINTER SURVIVAL STRATEGIES

Getting through the winter, for most animals, involves adopting one of the following strategies:

1. Hibernation. Basically, the idea is to hide out and avoid the winter altogether. Creatures in this category, like bears, build up a huge fat reserve and then find a comfy place to sleep. They awake only rarely during the winter , occasionally going out for water or a quick look around, and then return to their slumber.

2. Underground or Undersnow Shelter. Since snow is a natural insulator, staying below the snow, or better yet, below the ground, is a good strategy for survival. Most small animals, especially those weigh­ing 10 pounds or less, rely on the snow to protect them . Of course, if there's not enough snow, then there's not enough insulation, so life is risky even for those who take shelter underground.

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3. Bulk. Here the creature is capable of weathering the cold of winter by virtue of sheer size and weight. Of course, insulation, like fur and fat, helps a lot. And just about all winter creatures have natural protec­tion, but any animal weighing less than about 100 pounds just doesn't have enough internal heat to survive an overnight exposure to the worst of the cold. Therefore, most animals that live above ground during the winter tend to a large size.

4. Migration. Most birds, and a number of faerie folk, simply leave winter behind . Flying far to the south every Fall, and back again every Spring, they manage to avoid the winter, yet take advantage of the lush forest greenery . A few other animals, such as the caribou and tuskers, migrate lesser distances, just far enough south to avoid the worst of the winter blasts, usually returning to some favored place of shelter every year.

KILLING WINTERS Even the mildest of winters in the Northern Wilderness kill countless

creatures , especially those not specifically equipped or those ill prepared (like the poor human settlers from the south) . Yet there are winters whose severity is exceptional, winters capable of killing even the most perfectly adapted creatures of the snow .

1. Normal Winters. Even a normal winter in the Northern Wilderness is a killer. Heavy snows prevent travel, so creatures and communities without sufficient supplies of food or fuel are pretty much doomed . Food is scarce at best, with animals either living off their fat reserves (especially the hibernating bears and squirrels), or eating from their store of horded supplies. Those animals who depend on grazing must rely on the few tender sprouts and tree shoots that are available in winter. Finally, there is the cold itself. Without sufficient heat and insulation , any creature will die . Exertion is always risky, since it's important to conserve energy in winter. So the life-and-death decision that comes every day is whether to risk spending energy on hunting, or foraging for fuel or food, or conserving the energy you have to fight the cold.

Part of the reason why it is so difficult , and so deadly, for Southerners is that they only take the short view . They think, "Well, if I'm cold, I can warm myself up by running around in the woods, and while I'm warming myself up I might come across something to eat." That's the wrong attitude , since coping with winter isn't just a matter of keeping warm for one day. That energy you bum in one day of running around takes off vital body fat, fat that you might desperately need a week or a month later when it gets really cold .

2. False Killer Winters or Coyle Winters. Those winters which are not necessarily severe, with no more than normal cold temperatures , but in which the snow cover is inadequate. Either it's too dry and the snows don't come, or else there are too many unseasonably warm days and the snow cover melts away prematurely. Fairly rare, occurring about once every twenty years .

Wildlife suffers tremendously . First because smaller animals and plants lack the protection and insulation of the snow cover. Also because grazing animals , usually confined by the snow , range widely and de­structively . Finally, because the winter carnivores go on a rampage . Wolves, and their canine cousins, plus the big cats, the Mountain Lions and Tigers, will find they can travel easily and track their game over long distances. Without snow to impede them, or to protect their prey, they eat very well .

False Killers are also called "Coyle Winters" because this is when the Coyles are at their bloodthirsty worst. The lack of snow means that the Coyles are unimpeded in their migration through the forest (or across the grasslands), which generally leads to huge groups of Coyles, enlarged beyond their normal band size of one or two hundred, to thousands , and sometimes , tens of thousands .

3. True Killer Winters. The most brutal weather that the Palladium World is capable of delivering . Completely unpredictable, coming in roughly one out of every nineteen years. The True Killer Winter has snow, gale-force winds, record-breaking low temperatures, and more snow. This kind of winter is hard on everybody. Large creatures exposed to the frigid night cold will simply be unable to cope and may end up dead of hypothermia by morning . If it gets cold enough, the lakes and rivers may freeze all the way to the bottom, wiping out those creatures who depend on the liquid of the depths to survive . Colder yet, and the blanket of snow may not be enough insulation to keep the small burrow­ing creatures warm . Proof of the True Killer Winter will come in the silent Spring when the bodies of the dead will finally be exposed.

4. Stock Killer Winters or Blood-Snow Winters. Extremely rare, this is a short-lived phenomenon that happens only infrequently, roughly once every twelve years, and even then it rarely covers more than a tenth of the Northern Wilderness. It starts when a thick snow cover, of at least two feet, is hit with a sudden, unseasonable warm spell , where the temperature suddenly raises dramatically above freezing. Then comes the rain , occasionally even in the classic summer thun­derstorm pattern . Water pelts down from the skies, soaking the top layers of the snow for an inch or two. Then, before a real melt can take place, the freezing weather returns. The result is a hard, icy , crust on the surface of the snow . This crust, while capable of supporting the weight of lighter creatures, and even large humanoids with snowshoes, breaks under the weight of heavy, sharp-footed animals.

Moose, deer, buffalo, cattle, and caribou, even sheep and wild boar, all plunge through the crust, and then, pushing forward, they often bloody their legs on the sharp edges of the ice. Countless animals perish, because they are either left helpless for the hungry predators, trapped and left exposed with no way of getting to fresh food, or gradually bleed to death in a vain effort to free themselves .

While Blood-Snow Winters are good for predators, and allow most races to live through the winter, they are a sign of lean times. The diminished numbers of the prey animals will be further cut down by hungry predators until a general famine follows, which can affect a forest region for years to come.

G.M. Notes

Tracking in the Snow: + 10% to track, + 15% to identify tracks, +6% to trap animals . Minus -20% to prowl.

Snow and Speed Modifiers: Light snow: No speed reduction, visibility - 600ft. Medium Snow: 6 to 16 inches, reduce speed by 30%; visibility during the snowfall is about 200 feet. Heavy Snow: 17 to 30 inches, reduce speed by 50%; visibility during the snowfall is about 100 feet. Blizzard: 3ft to 6ft of snow falls (roll 104 + 2) in less than 24 hours. Speed is reduced by 90% during the storm and 60% after; visibility during the storm is a meager 8ft. Frozen Snow ("Blood-Snow"): Reduce speed by 70%. Note: All snow speed penalties consider the depth of the snow and the difficulty of trudging through it. Thus, the penalty applies even after the storm is over.

Snow shoes will minimize all snow speed penalties, except during a blizzard. to a penalty of - 20%.

Additional Modifiers: Creatures smaller than four feet tall are minus an additional - 20% on their speed. Animals suffer the same penal­ties. Giants, nine feet or taller, can subtract 10% from their penalty . For Example: Travel through heavy snow is 40% , not 50%, blizzard is 80%, not 90%. Speed penalties apply to flying creatures during the snowfall , as does visibility .

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WOLFEN TRIBES The Twelve Wolfen Tribes

These are the twelve original tribes of Wolfen who created the Con­stitution upon which the Wolfen state is based . Bitter enemies since the beginning of Wolfen history, there were traditionally thirteen tribes . However, the constant warfare and shifting alliances, always grim and bloody , eventually lead to an atrocity so great that even the most bar­barous Wolfen were shocked .

The story began some sixty-eight years ago, during the worst "Killer Winter" in recent Northern Wilderness history . Famine, plague and pure killing freezes were cutting into the Wolfen numbers like a knife. All the tribes, fearful of losing even more of their numbers, concealed whatever provisions and cattle they had left, and warfare between the tribes accelerated. Meanwhile, the Algor Range Huntsmen, one of the most powerful Wolfen Tribes, decided that they had enough food to last the winter, with a surplus besides. They opened their larder to starving Wolfen strays , to Coyles, and to others who were on the verge of death.

Somewhere the word on the snow trails changed from "The Range Huntsmen are feeding the hungry" to "The Range Huntsmen are building their numbers" and then to "The Range Huntsmen plot to conquer all the Wolfen Tribes ." Between rumors and hunger, and the heavy momen­tum of years of strife, the combined forces of Eight of the Thirteen Tribes fell upon the Range Huntsmen .

And when it was over they were no more .

Not only warriors, but women and children, and animals and stock, allies and more, all died in the wanton killing of that desperate winter.

It took two years before the Tribes started to confess to each other that they were not as destitute as they had pretended . With each new revelation , the horror of their act grew and grew . As among natural wolves, the Wolfen have a particular set of rules regarding conduct and behavior. There was no excuse for the slaughter of innocents; the killing of helpless Wolfen wives and offspring .

Nor was there anyone who could be counted as truly guiltless. Mem­bers of all tribes had participated in the grim deeds of that winter.

So the Wolfen, being basically an honest people, began a great dialogue among their numbers . They asked themselves those questions that all intelligent races must eventually ponder. Questions about mor­ality and murder, and more importantly, about government and law.

Thus, was born the Constitution of the Twelve Tribes . The twelve Wolfen tribes include the Long Knife Tribe , Gold Ear Tribe , Seahawk Tribe, Eastern Arm Tribe, Two Axe Tribe, Dark Step Tribe, Sun Child Tribe , January Magic Tribe, Ice-Eye Tribe, Ursa Rex Tribe, Oak People Tribe, and Iron Claw Tribe.

Forged in an act of violence, but with the determination that it would never happen again, the Wolfen Empire was born.

I. Long Knife Tribe. Called the "City Wolfen" by others, the wolfen of this tribe are most

often the leaders and bureaucrats of the Wolfen Empire . Almost all Long Knives are grey furred, but are otherwise typical of Wolfen looks. Their capital , Shadow fall, has become the capital of all the Wolfen Empire and is by far their largest city . The Long Knives also have the closest relationship with the Diamond Point Coyles and the humans of the Havea Kingdom . They are considered the diplomats of the Wolfen, and are the most highly educated. Not only are all Long Knives literate , but most speak at least one other language. They are largely ambivalent about religion . ..

II. Seahawk Tribe. Although they call themselves "The Civilized Tribe," other Wolfen

often call them "The Soft Ones." They have a slightly different look than other Wolfen, tending toward a shorter height and a more massive body, with lighter fur and varying shades of green eyes . Occupying the southern coast, below the Algor Mountains, where the climate is mild, the rain plentiful, and the soil rich, the Seahawk Wolfen have always been considerably more timid than their wilderness cousins. Unlike most Wolfen, the Seahawks eat practically no meat, preferring fruit (they plant fruit trees throughout the forest), grains, fish and veg­etables . What meat they do eat comes not from large stock animals, but mostly from rabbits and birds . Most Seahawks worship The North­ern Sea God (Algor), although the tribe itself has no official religion. Their capital, Seaholm, sits alongside the southern entrance to a major pass through the Algor Mountains .

III. Gold Ear or Golden Earring Tribe.

Their name comes from the gold earrings worn by virtually every member of the tribe. They are often called the "Rich Wolfen" or "Golden Wolfen" by others , because of the gold nuggets and occasional gold mines found in their territory. Coincidentally, they also tend toward a "tan" or "yellow" or "off-white" colored fur. This tribe has the closest relationship with the Algor Mountain Kobolds, from whom they have learned many of the secrets of mining and metal working. Their rugged land, although relatively barren, probably has the richest mineral wealth in the entire Palladium world . Among the several religions worshipped by the Gold Ears, there are still rumors of a secret cult that worships the Algor Frost Giants. There are two major cities in their territory,

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